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A Light in the Cane Fields
Top Semi finalist, 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
Manuscript Review from Publishers Weekly
"This coming-of-age story chronicling a Filipino boy's wrenching passage from son of privilege to guerilla fighter is a stylistic tour-de-force. From its first lines, the saga of Jando Flores seizes readers with the same chilling intensity as the cold water that wraps around Jando's chest as he hides in a river to escape a gang of pillaging cutthroats. While such murderous militias dispossess cane farmers in the Central Plains of the Philippines, the NPA (a brutal leftist insurgency) combats the government troops of Ferdinand Marcos and the ruthless sugar barons who steal the poor farmers' land. Jando, whose family owns a plantation, is forced into the NPA, but he remains a sensitive soul, brimming with empathy for his fellow countrymen-even as he watches others, like his beloved uncle, morph into fierce, sadistic killers. Incandescent descriptions radiate from the pages of this book. When a wounded Jando wakes, after narrowly escaping a death squad, he sees "marmalade light slicing through the fronds, weaving orange and black tiger stripes." Mountain bandits, sugar warlords, Peace Corps volunteers, dignitaries, and revolutionaries all jostle beneath "mango-colored" skies in this riveting epic of loss and transformation, but it is a masterful and delicate choreography. " –Publishers Weekly
Manuscript Review from Publishers Weekly
"This coming-of-age story chronicling a Filipino boy's wrenching passage from son of privilege to guerilla fighter is a stylistic tour-de-force. From its first lines, the saga of Jando Flores seizes readers with the same chilling intensity as the cold water that wraps around Jando's chest as he hides in a river to escape a gang of pillaging cutthroats. While such murderous militias dispossess cane farmers in the Central Plains of the Philippines, the NPA (a brutal leftist insurgency) combats the government troops of Ferdinand Marcos and the ruthless sugar barons who steal the poor farmers' land. Jando, whose family owns a plantation, is forced into the NPA, but he remains a sensitive soul, brimming with empathy for his fellow countrymen-even as he watches others, like his beloved uncle, morph into fierce, sadistic killers. Incandescent descriptions radiate from the pages of this book. When a wounded Jando wakes, after narrowly escaping a death squad, he sees "marmalade light slicing through the fronds, weaving orange and black tiger stripes." Mountain bandits, sugar warlords, Peace Corps volunteers, dignitaries, and revolutionaries all jostle beneath "mango-colored" skies in this riveting epic of loss and transformation, but it is a masterful and delicate choreography. " –Publishers Weekly
- GenresHistorical Fiction
404 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2013
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Enrico Antiporda
11Ìýbooks24ÌýfollowersI'm a fiction editor of Conclave, a Journal of Character, an annual literary magazine. I published my first novel, The Band of Gypsies, in 2000 with rave editorial reviews. A Light in the Cane Fields earned two consecutive scholarships at the Squaw Valley Writers Conference and was a top semifinalist in the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. The novel earned a tour de force review from Publishers Weekly, garnering accolades like "a riveting epic of loss and transformation" and "a masterful choreography."
I'm a workshop leader of the Rockridge Writers Group in Oakland, California.
As for my history, after graduating with a BSBA degree at De La Salle University, I lived for two years in Bilbao, Spain working as a business intern under the AIESEC international exchange program. I'm now a full-time visual artist and writer and my post impressionist works have been exhibited in galleries and art shows in California.
I love painting, hiking, traveling, listening to world music, and writing.
I'm a workshop leader of the Rockridge Writers Group in Oakland, California.
As for my history, after graduating with a BSBA degree at De La Salle University, I lived for two years in Bilbao, Spain working as a business intern under the AIESEC international exchange program. I'm now a full-time visual artist and writer and my post impressionist works have been exhibited in galleries and art shows in California.
I love painting, hiking, traveling, listening to world music, and writing.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 2, 2013
Top Semi finalist, 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
Kindle Edition: Published April 12th 2013
This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time!
When it was finished my first thought after reading "The End" was: "what an unbelievably, incredible, amazing story!"
Jando, a twelve-year-old child is the narrator, lying in a 'spider-hole' introducing himself as a boy-soldier - those kids "too tough to be real children, too young to be real men".
The riveting, evocutive tale starts with his innocent life on his father's sugar plantation, introducing his family:
Mang Miguel Flores, his dad; Sampaguita Inday - his mom; Tanaya - his adopted little sister, with her pet pig Rosa; Monching - his missing brother; His uncle - Tio Mario: "He was a boulder no one could budge, someone one could hide behind. Today showed me that he was only human "Oso was a member of the Peasants Union and was as disagreeable as a swollen canker sore."
Jando is still discovering the world around him, describing his life from every angle: the smells of the forests and plantations, his mom's masterful cooking of traditional foods; the colors of the insects, animals, mountains, flowers, clouds; the detail of the community's dresses, believes, habits, history and languages. We are taken into the lives of decent, hardworking people living an uncomplicated life.
And abruptely his life changed when he also was confronted with the ugliness of revolution, war, politics and greed in which his family's - as well as those of many people around them's lives would forever change.
"Bad wind never blows alone, so goes the Filipino saying.
But I wasn't listening. I wanted to be alone. I was mad. Mad at Mama and Papa for delaying me, mad at Father Rufino for leaving me, mad at Tio Mario for interrupting me, mad at Leilani for cheating on Oso, mad at Oso for being a fool, mad at Tato for getting himself killed, and mad at everything else. I punched the air with my fist. It was a stupid world with stupid people living in it.
The author blended love, family, hardships, war, and unbelievable violence into a poetic tale of hope and determination.
The story is fast moving, exact, riveting. "The sun rose and fell and the days peeled away like the pages of a calendar."
Every page would shock, mesmerize, and grip the reader as a silent witness to this remarkable historical accurate, yet fictitous tale.
The reader is left breathless at the end, yet also grateful for a young boy's integrity, compassion and love for his country and his people and the price he was willing to pay to honor the people he loved and to keep his promises.
"The memories still haunt us, but they are faded now, like the pages of an old manuscript left out in the sun."
The book is available at as an E-Book.
I recommend this brilliant,compassionately-written book to anyone enjoying Khaled Hosseini, Amy Tan, Abraham Verghese, Tan Twang Eng.
Kindle Edition: Published April 12th 2013
This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time!
When it was finished my first thought after reading "The End" was: "what an unbelievably, incredible, amazing story!"
Jando, a twelve-year-old child is the narrator, lying in a 'spider-hole' introducing himself as a boy-soldier - those kids "too tough to be real children, too young to be real men".
The riveting, evocutive tale starts with his innocent life on his father's sugar plantation, introducing his family:
Mang Miguel Flores, his dad; Sampaguita Inday - his mom; Tanaya - his adopted little sister, with her pet pig Rosa; Monching - his missing brother; His uncle - Tio Mario: "He was a boulder no one could budge, someone one could hide behind. Today showed me that he was only human "Oso was a member of the Peasants Union and was as disagreeable as a swollen canker sore."
Jando is still discovering the world around him, describing his life from every angle: the smells of the forests and plantations, his mom's masterful cooking of traditional foods; the colors of the insects, animals, mountains, flowers, clouds; the detail of the community's dresses, believes, habits, history and languages. We are taken into the lives of decent, hardworking people living an uncomplicated life.
And abruptely his life changed when he also was confronted with the ugliness of revolution, war, politics and greed in which his family's - as well as those of many people around them's lives would forever change.
"Bad wind never blows alone, so goes the Filipino saying.
But I wasn't listening. I wanted to be alone. I was mad. Mad at Mama and Papa for delaying me, mad at Father Rufino for leaving me, mad at Tio Mario for interrupting me, mad at Leilani for cheating on Oso, mad at Oso for being a fool, mad at Tato for getting himself killed, and mad at everything else. I punched the air with my fist. It was a stupid world with stupid people living in it.
The author blended love, family, hardships, war, and unbelievable violence into a poetic tale of hope and determination.
The story is fast moving, exact, riveting. "The sun rose and fell and the days peeled away like the pages of a calendar."
Every page would shock, mesmerize, and grip the reader as a silent witness to this remarkable historical accurate, yet fictitous tale.
The reader is left breathless at the end, yet also grateful for a young boy's integrity, compassion and love for his country and his people and the price he was willing to pay to honor the people he loved and to keep his promises.
"The memories still haunt us, but they are faded now, like the pages of an old manuscript left out in the sun."
The book is available at as an E-Book.
I recommend this brilliant,compassionately-written book to anyone enjoying Khaled Hosseini, Amy Tan, Abraham Verghese, Tan Twang Eng.
June 14, 2013
Overall, I found this to be a richly evocative and thoroughly satisfying read. The author brings the melting pot of mid-20th century Philippines to vivid, breathing life-- farms, jungles, mountains, towns, and cities. Antiporda is equally at home in sugar plantations and neon-lit Olangapo.
Being of mixed heritage myself, (Mexican and German), Jando’s Latinized family and neighbors were very relatable to me, and I was particularly intrigued to read of a place with such a blend of cultures: native, Spanish/Catholic, Asian, Muslim, American, with the polyglot of Spanish, English and Tagalog thrown in. The superstition and Catholicism in particular rang true to me.
From the beginning, it is clear that young Jando is a deeply sensitive young man, not cut out to be a participant in the horrors of war, yet with enough heart and courage to survive them. Like others in his culture, he is fiercely loyal to and protective of the people he loves. It is telling that when he is brought, at the tender age of 12, to a guerrilla camp to train to become a communist insurgent, that he is given the name Dante—the poet who journeyed through hell to find his Beatrice. Jando’s ability to find hope and to see the good in others sees him through the horrific experience of watching his family get killed by Spanish land-grabbers, then, in turn, his baptism by fire in the insurgent camp, including communist propaganda indoctrination, brutalization, and, eventually, graduation into their survivalist way of life.
Violence and death are commonplace, even outside the political strife—disease and images of butchered meat and animals being slaughtered occur with the same combination of matter-of-factness and high drama as spousal abuse, betrayal, brawling and cockfights.
Animals, plants, and insects populate this book as vividly as the human characters. It has a sizable cast, each person distinctly and realistically drawn.
I also appreciated the straightforward, yet lyrical quality of the narrative. The recurring images of light and blood supported the themes of both hope and devastation.
Being of mixed heritage myself, (Mexican and German), Jando’s Latinized family and neighbors were very relatable to me, and I was particularly intrigued to read of a place with such a blend of cultures: native, Spanish/Catholic, Asian, Muslim, American, with the polyglot of Spanish, English and Tagalog thrown in. The superstition and Catholicism in particular rang true to me.
From the beginning, it is clear that young Jando is a deeply sensitive young man, not cut out to be a participant in the horrors of war, yet with enough heart and courage to survive them. Like others in his culture, he is fiercely loyal to and protective of the people he loves. It is telling that when he is brought, at the tender age of 12, to a guerrilla camp to train to become a communist insurgent, that he is given the name Dante—the poet who journeyed through hell to find his Beatrice. Jando’s ability to find hope and to see the good in others sees him through the horrific experience of watching his family get killed by Spanish land-grabbers, then, in turn, his baptism by fire in the insurgent camp, including communist propaganda indoctrination, brutalization, and, eventually, graduation into their survivalist way of life.
Violence and death are commonplace, even outside the political strife—disease and images of butchered meat and animals being slaughtered occur with the same combination of matter-of-factness and high drama as spousal abuse, betrayal, brawling and cockfights.
Animals, plants, and insects populate this book as vividly as the human characters. It has a sizable cast, each person distinctly and realistically drawn.
I also appreciated the straightforward, yet lyrical quality of the narrative. The recurring images of light and blood supported the themes of both hope and devastation.
August 15, 2013
I was not surprised to learn that Antiporda’s A Light in the Cane Fields was a semi-finalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award in 2008, nor was I surprised to read that a book review from Publisher’s Weekly called it “a stylistic tour-de-force�. After reading this very impressive and powerful novel, I would be more astonished to find a negative viewpoint about either Antiporda’s haunting storyline or his lyrical writing style. Both are truly captivating.
The story opens after much turmoil has already taken place in the life of its narrator. What exactly has occurred is unclear as is to whom the voice belongs that is telling the tale. It starts from inside a cramped spider hole which is covered in leaves beneath a blistering sun. The reader only has to wait until the second page before the voice reveals himself to be a young boy, and in his own words, one that is still small and quite skinny. On this child’s chest lay a Browning automatic loaded with fourteen hallow point bullets. He describes himself as a Boy Soldier who is too tough to be a real child but too young to be a real man. From here, the story is taken back to when Jando’s life is as he’s always known it; where he is loved and cared for, and where he goes to school and lives the life he is happy with and that he is accustomed to living. The brief but forceful opening, however, did for me exactly what the author meant it to do. I felt a sense of tension, of anxiousness knowing that young Jando’s life does not follow the path he intends it to follow, and the knowledge that bad things lurk in this character’s future made the rest of this ride a tense one.
Antiporda described for me a place and a way of life that I’ve never seen and know very little about. He portrays a very brutal time period in the history of the Philippines and seeing it from the eyes of a preteen child made the reality of his story even more difficult to bear. The characters speak a language I don’t understand, but the author made sure I knew what they were saying. This added flavor and authenticity without being distracting and I thought the book would have been less without it. I enjoyed reading about the harvesting of the sugar cane fields, the array of local foods and vegetation and the modes of public transportation. The details of Jando’s everyday life were very interesting, and were in extreme contrast to those he experiences after being taken to the training camp. It was so difficult to see all that this young boy loses, including people and relationships he loves and a lifestyle he thrives in. This was such a sad and emotional story, but at the same time, it was rich and powerful and very, very beautiful.
I tip my hat to, and am incredibly grateful for the occasional writer who is capable of drawing me so completely into their literary world, a writer who makes me care so deeply for the characters they create that, even after the story has been told, the details of it hover in my memory for an extended period of time. Enrico Antiporda does this in A Light in the Cane Fields. This was not an easy book for me to read but Antiporda’s writing style is expressive and flows almost effortlessly. He is incredibly and beautifully descriptive but doesn’t lag. This book is 402 pages long and, although I felt emotionally exhausted by the story at many different times, the plot carried itself along at a steady pace without dragging its feet. The author’s writing is both consistent and strong throughout.
I was very surprised and quite delighted with the ending of this book which made the whole experience complete for me. I was deeply affected by this novel and am very happy I was introduced to it and given a chance to read it.
The story opens after much turmoil has already taken place in the life of its narrator. What exactly has occurred is unclear as is to whom the voice belongs that is telling the tale. It starts from inside a cramped spider hole which is covered in leaves beneath a blistering sun. The reader only has to wait until the second page before the voice reveals himself to be a young boy, and in his own words, one that is still small and quite skinny. On this child’s chest lay a Browning automatic loaded with fourteen hallow point bullets. He describes himself as a Boy Soldier who is too tough to be a real child but too young to be a real man. From here, the story is taken back to when Jando’s life is as he’s always known it; where he is loved and cared for, and where he goes to school and lives the life he is happy with and that he is accustomed to living. The brief but forceful opening, however, did for me exactly what the author meant it to do. I felt a sense of tension, of anxiousness knowing that young Jando’s life does not follow the path he intends it to follow, and the knowledge that bad things lurk in this character’s future made the rest of this ride a tense one.
Antiporda described for me a place and a way of life that I’ve never seen and know very little about. He portrays a very brutal time period in the history of the Philippines and seeing it from the eyes of a preteen child made the reality of his story even more difficult to bear. The characters speak a language I don’t understand, but the author made sure I knew what they were saying. This added flavor and authenticity without being distracting and I thought the book would have been less without it. I enjoyed reading about the harvesting of the sugar cane fields, the array of local foods and vegetation and the modes of public transportation. The details of Jando’s everyday life were very interesting, and were in extreme contrast to those he experiences after being taken to the training camp. It was so difficult to see all that this young boy loses, including people and relationships he loves and a lifestyle he thrives in. This was such a sad and emotional story, but at the same time, it was rich and powerful and very, very beautiful.
I tip my hat to, and am incredibly grateful for the occasional writer who is capable of drawing me so completely into their literary world, a writer who makes me care so deeply for the characters they create that, even after the story has been told, the details of it hover in my memory for an extended period of time. Enrico Antiporda does this in A Light in the Cane Fields. This was not an easy book for me to read but Antiporda’s writing style is expressive and flows almost effortlessly. He is incredibly and beautifully descriptive but doesn’t lag. This book is 402 pages long and, although I felt emotionally exhausted by the story at many different times, the plot carried itself along at a steady pace without dragging its feet. The author’s writing is both consistent and strong throughout.
I was very surprised and quite delighted with the ending of this book which made the whole experience complete for me. I was deeply affected by this novel and am very happy I was introduced to it and given a chance to read it.
May 12, 2013
A few rough sentences, and scenes that end abruptly early, but very well written, well edited, and a compelling story. The prose is, for the most part, very flowing and evocative. At times, it seems almost at odds with the darkness of Jando's world. I noticed a few minor flaws, a missing word here or there, or a mechanism that was not extended evenly throughout the text (Why didn't the guerillas rename Tio Mario, as they renamed Jando, and renamed all of their own?)
There were a few aspects of the story that didn't sit well with me. The evolution of Jando's feelings towards Maya seemed to happen way too abruptly, and one of the events in the epilogue felt abrupt and out of place. I also wasn't entirely thrilled with the in-media-res beginning. Some of that's personal tastes: most of the in-media-res I read is writers forcing a connection by trying to amp up the danger in the beginning, rather than building a solid character that the reader wants to care about anyways. The rest of my dislike for that mechanism was that the placement felt awkward, the climax felt less climactic, because of its use as the opening chapter.
Those were minor nitpicks, though. The worldbuilding is not too cluttered, but it's stunning and effective. There are a lot of little nuances and details to the scents, the foods, the language, the culture, that all draw the reader in, rather than pulling away from the characters. Jando's narrative voice dissociates in places. At first, I wished there would have been more follow up to the horrors of the witnessed deaths and abuses of those close to him. There were only a few pieces of it he seemed to process, and only in a few places. Though that bothered me while I was reading it, I'd brushed it off by the end, because it made sense in the context of his overall voice. It ended up adding another level of psychological nuance, rather than being a sign of lack of follow up.
This was a hard book to put down. Its strengths far outweigh the "flaws" I found. Very well written, very gripping, and very thoughtful. Well worth the read.
(Note: I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review. I very much appreciate this. I really enjoyed this book)
There were a few aspects of the story that didn't sit well with me. The evolution of Jando's feelings towards Maya seemed to happen way too abruptly, and one of the events in the epilogue felt abrupt and out of place. I also wasn't entirely thrilled with the in-media-res beginning. Some of that's personal tastes: most of the in-media-res I read is writers forcing a connection by trying to amp up the danger in the beginning, rather than building a solid character that the reader wants to care about anyways. The rest of my dislike for that mechanism was that the placement felt awkward, the climax felt less climactic, because of its use as the opening chapter.
Those were minor nitpicks, though. The worldbuilding is not too cluttered, but it's stunning and effective. There are a lot of little nuances and details to the scents, the foods, the language, the culture, that all draw the reader in, rather than pulling away from the characters. Jando's narrative voice dissociates in places. At first, I wished there would have been more follow up to the horrors of the witnessed deaths and abuses of those close to him. There were only a few pieces of it he seemed to process, and only in a few places. Though that bothered me while I was reading it, I'd brushed it off by the end, because it made sense in the context of his overall voice. It ended up adding another level of psychological nuance, rather than being a sign of lack of follow up.
This was a hard book to put down. Its strengths far outweigh the "flaws" I found. Very well written, very gripping, and very thoughtful. Well worth the read.
(Note: I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review. I very much appreciate this. I really enjoyed this book)
September 1, 2016
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest, nonreciprocal review.
I don’t need to go into the details of the story, since the other reviews and the book description have already alluded to this. What I will go into is how I feel the story is put together.
The first, and I feel strongest part of the story is Jando himself. He is a well-written character. I appreciate this being told in first person, as it allows me to see through his eyes and experience some of his emotions. Jando comes to us as a twelve-year-old boy, kind-hearted and innocent. He is curious, adventurous and worried about what is going on in his world. We see conflict build to the point that the suspense keeps us reading to see what happens. We soon realize that war is inevitable, but what happens to Jando and all the people he cares about? The author writes in such a way as to make us want to know.
The second is the reality mixed in with a fictional tale. I am by no means a historian, but it appears that the author has done his homework to write a fictional tale with a historical background. This lends credence to the story, and helps me to learn about his country, from a perspective not often told.
The pacing and suspense are well-placed, and although it is a long book, it doesn’t feel that way. Events unfold at an alarming pace once the war is underway, providing a grim reminder of the true horrors of war.
I appreciate the way that war is not glamorized. The gritty details of pain and suffering, especially when dealt to the innocent, and helpful reminders that war is something dark, something to shun.
“A Light in the Cane Fields� is well worth the read, diving into the depths of humanity’s lust for blood and revenge, while soaring with dreams and aspirations of peace.
I don’t need to go into the details of the story, since the other reviews and the book description have already alluded to this. What I will go into is how I feel the story is put together.
The first, and I feel strongest part of the story is Jando himself. He is a well-written character. I appreciate this being told in first person, as it allows me to see through his eyes and experience some of his emotions. Jando comes to us as a twelve-year-old boy, kind-hearted and innocent. He is curious, adventurous and worried about what is going on in his world. We see conflict build to the point that the suspense keeps us reading to see what happens. We soon realize that war is inevitable, but what happens to Jando and all the people he cares about? The author writes in such a way as to make us want to know.
The second is the reality mixed in with a fictional tale. I am by no means a historian, but it appears that the author has done his homework to write a fictional tale with a historical background. This lends credence to the story, and helps me to learn about his country, from a perspective not often told.
The pacing and suspense are well-placed, and although it is a long book, it doesn’t feel that way. Events unfold at an alarming pace once the war is underway, providing a grim reminder of the true horrors of war.
I appreciate the way that war is not glamorized. The gritty details of pain and suffering, especially when dealt to the innocent, and helpful reminders that war is something dark, something to shun.
“A Light in the Cane Fields� is well worth the read, diving into the depths of humanity’s lust for blood and revenge, while soaring with dreams and aspirations of peace.
August 21, 2013
Tanaya and I never speak of those days anymore, those days of orchards and butterflies, of summer rains and typhoon clouds. The memories still haunt us, but they are faded now, like the pages of an old manuscript left out in the sun.
A Light in the Cane Fields is ultimately a story about heart and perseverance. A look into the darker aspects of Philippine history, it strove to show how sides in a war aren't always so cut and dry. Jando is thrust into a world where brutality and discipline is the way of life, and he's forced to learn to adapt.
His changing relationship with Maya was probably the most interesting relationship to develop within the pages. She was harsh and brutal, causing mental and physical anguish on a regular basis. It isn't until Jando spent more time with her that we began to see the actual person beneath all the rigid rules. The sensitivity she showed was good indication of how the people who were the villains weren't always the villains.
The events Jando was forced to endure were hard to read at times. Seeing family murdered in such a brutal way, and then to be forced to live with the people that did it is something I can't fathom. And then to renounce his family only to accept the rebellion as his family...
It still remained hopeful, though. I never felt as if Jando had no hope left, no reason to continue to keep living. I expected that, from a novel that deals with war-torn villages. Instead, I got the story of a boy who persevered through difficult odds and managed to come out of it a little stronger and a little better.
June 23, 2013
Wow! Upon finishing the book, that's really all I can think about it. I've actually sat here for the last 15 minutes just thinking about it, letting the whole story hit me, trying to decide how best to describe this book.
I'll start first by being completely honest with you - I got this book for free because I promised Enrico that I would write a review. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The description sounded really interesting, but I was a little iffy because the genre and setting were not ones I had experienced often. From the first chapter, I was head over heels for this book and his writing. The descriptions are amazing. The whole time I could see what the character was seeing, feel what the character was feeling. When his eyes were full of tears, so were mine. When he was scared, I was scared. This is a book that keeps you reading more and more because you want to know what happens to Jando next - you wanted to hear more and more about the ups and downs of his young life. And the ending ... not at all what I expected ... and yet perfect for the book.
I believe that books speak to you, sometimes in ways that the author didn't even expect. This book spoke to me and made me think about things in my life as well as feel this overwhelming emotion for this young boy, his family and the people he met along the way.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It's by far one of the best books I've ever read and I can't wait to read more by this author.
I'll start first by being completely honest with you - I got this book for free because I promised Enrico that I would write a review. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The description sounded really interesting, but I was a little iffy because the genre and setting were not ones I had experienced often. From the first chapter, I was head over heels for this book and his writing. The descriptions are amazing. The whole time I could see what the character was seeing, feel what the character was feeling. When his eyes were full of tears, so were mine. When he was scared, I was scared. This is a book that keeps you reading more and more because you want to know what happens to Jando next - you wanted to hear more and more about the ups and downs of his young life. And the ending ... not at all what I expected ... and yet perfect for the book.
I believe that books speak to you, sometimes in ways that the author didn't even expect. This book spoke to me and made me think about things in my life as well as feel this overwhelming emotion for this young boy, his family and the people he met along the way.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It's by far one of the best books I've ever read and I can't wait to read more by this author.
June 1, 2013
A gripping story about a young boy caught in the guerilla fighting of the Philippines prior to the revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The book tells, in heart-wrenching detail, of the savage murders of the time, and the revolutionaries� equally savage response to them. The reader is quickly drawn in, caring deeply about young Jando, his family, and those he grows close to as necessity dictates.
The book is exceptionally well-written; the descriptions are so vivid that the reader is transported to the hot jungles, and experiences some degree of the tension the characters in the book feel.
I highly recommend ‘A Light in the Cane Fields.�.
The book is exceptionally well-written; the descriptions are so vivid that the reader is transported to the hot jungles, and experiences some degree of the tension the characters in the book feel.
I highly recommend ‘A Light in the Cane Fields.�.
November 25, 2013
Book Review for: A Light in the Cane Fields
Author: Enrico Antiporda
Edition: Kindle
As a courtesy from the author, I received a free copy of the e-book in exchange for doing an unbiased review. Per review guidelines, the review includes the following components: characterization, writing style, pace, length, plot, symbolism, language (spelling and grammar), settings, and personal reaction. The review will be organized in this order.
Introduction
This novel is set in the Philippines. I know only a little about the Philippines. I have never been there and the only contact I have had with the country has been through people I have met from the Philippines. The novel motivated me to spend some time with a few reference books in my library because I felt knowing the history of the country (consisting of over 7,000 islands!!) was important to understanding this novel.
The Philippines is a republic in the SW Pacific Ocean. It's capitol is Manila. The Spanish held the islands until 1898 when, as a result of the Spanish-American war, it was transferred to the United States. It is named after the king of Spain during the 16th century (Philip II). It was occupied by the Japanese during WWII until U.S. General MacArthur showed up. It gained independence in 1946. It was under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos from 1965-1986. Marcos was granted exile in the U.S.
The history of the country is, quite frankly, textbook colonialism: a small country with rich resources that is exploited by bigger countries then after it gains its independence, is torn apart by internal conflicts. My perception of the Philippines is that it has been beaten up from all sides--politically, geographically, and environmentally. Thus, it is the epitome of the result of colonialism and once handed independence, was/is plagued by internal struggles for power.
Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) had hit so even as I was reading this book, I was looking at the television news showing the wrath of this storm on the Filipino people including the complete destruction of places like Tacloban. This was surreal--to be doing a review of a book set in a country that was just hit by a catastrophic storm (and the book includes a scene where a typhoon hits). It seems the destiny of the Philippines is to constantly endure hardship and pain. It is this constant hardship and pain that I feel personifies this book.
Characterization
The book is written in the first person, in the voice of a 12 year old boy named Jando who lives in the Pampanga Province. He is from the upper or better-well-off classes out of Manila. It is set in 1967. The book follows his evolution (or de-evolution depending on how you think of it) as he transitions from child to man. His strongest emotional ties are to the women in his life such as his mother, an American woman who is there to "help" the country, and a tribal leader named Maya. I feel the characterization is excellent. The personality of each person is clearly defined and you perceive each character as the individual they are--with their own history and "issues". The story is character-rich. You are constantly meeting new characters. I did find myself flipping back and forth to refresh my memory on "who is who" but the author creates cohesion in the story by sticking to a core group of characters. This is still a relatively high number but is necessary for the type of story it is.
Writing Style
The most distinctive thing about this novel is in fact, the writing style which is a first person narrative. Jando is telling his story. There is a difference between reporting a story and telling a story. This book does only one of these. It can come across sometimes as tedious and dry though I think part of this is it is a adolescent boy telling the story and the writing style is meant to mimic how an adolescent boy might talk. Still, I needed to take a break from it sometimes. I perhaps would have broken it up with more esthetic interplay, perhaps some author intervention, reverting to some other writing style as I found it did become somewhat tedious at times. It is extremely difficult to write a story like this, especially one as rich in detail and subplots as this, and not wear a bit on the reader. For me, this was the main drawback in reading the book.
Pace
Pace is fast but then again, the characters are fighting for their lives--the lives of their country and their own. I feel the pace is a strong point of the novel and offsets how complex it can get.
Length
I might have edited some portions of it out only because the book is so rich with detail. Length is long.
Plot
The plot is intense and compelling. The story is a familiar one in the world of colonialism: exploitation by larger countries, the struggle for independence, independence gained then the internecine rivalries kick in (it is a tragedy of the human species that even in 2013 we still see this playing out globally; as a species, we seem destined to play this same scenario out over and over. Why?). As with so many struggles of this type, innocent children are conscripted to fight. Jando is one of them and this is the over-riding theme of the story.
There is a lot of violence in the book. The cultural chasm is represented by the Americans in the story who are there to "help". The author does a great job showing how stilted their adjustment is and their tendency to romanticize. The story has all the components of internecine struggles: bribery, political corruption, stressed and strained loyalties, death, murder, grief, loss of innocence, anger, betrayal...it is all here in this story which makes it almost too rich in plot and subplot. There is a lot to keep track of including characters, their backgrounds/histories, familial relationships--it is a busy book. It can also be grisly at times. The plot is compelling and did keep me on the edge of my seat even though I had a feeling it would end the way it did. In this way, it was somewhat predictable, a tad contrived, but still compelling.
One of the most interesting things about continually suffering under a state of injustice is the rationalization that has to kick-in in order to endure it. The story begins where Jando sees things as many children do--as they really are but as with all the characters in the story, they are forced to resort to rationalizing regarding what is happening to and all around them just to keep going. We all know what happens with rationalization--it allows us to keep our emotions, our reactions, such as anger to injustice, unfairness, etc. in check. Jando is not only growing older in the book or "maturing" under incredible stress and loss, but he is also learning to think "like an adult"...
I liked the little jolt when it was revealed that the beginning of the book ties in tightly to the end (and I cannot say much more per spoiling it).
Symbolism
This was a strong aspect of the story. The incredibly rich culture of the Philippines is woven into the narrative including the superstition, the native plants and animals of the island, intriguing recipes (!), and cultural habits. As a professional biologist, I LOVED this! The author includes the names of many native plants and animals, and aspects of their natural history. This was one of the most delightful aspects of the book for me.
If the title of a book is meant to be symbolic regarding what's IN the book, I do not think the title matches the intensity of the book. "Light in the Cane Fields" implied something to me I did not find in the book--a kind of soft, poetic, artistic fluidity...While the story definitely offers an aesthetic experience, it is not what I would call poetic: it's 'brass tacks and nails', sharp edges and jagged rocks, guns, machetes, knives, and blood. Violence and struggle. Yes, sure there is the bougainvillea behind the "ruins of the old Spanish citadel" (to which Jando thinks, "it's just a bunch of crumbling walls" as the American woman there (Rachel) romanticizes it). I suggest a different title to match the story the book is telling and to who the story is being told.
Language/Grammar
Saw a few minor edits. Language is very careful--tries to walk the very difficult line between reflecting how people talk in the real world and being grammatically correct. (I recognized it because I struggled with this in my novel; in exchange for editing something to be grammatically correct, do we sacrifice the characterization?). I detected this struggle in the book but it also may have been because the story is being told by a young boy who is one age in the beginning of the story then older at the end. At times, this style came across as awkward.
Settings
Exemplary. This is where the book excels. I felt like I was there. This is where the aesthetic element of the story comes in per descriptions of the natural environment, the crumbling Spanish citadels, the "spider hole" Jando is hunkered down into. The story is rich in this aspect and I greatly enjoyed it. I offer a few examples:
"A bouquet of frangipani flowers bloomed in a milk jar, oozing perfume. Kalachuchi, we called them in Tagalog. Temple flowers. We had a whole grove of them in the orchard."
"This is beautiful, " Rachel said, watching a hawk land on a guava tree that grew out of a crack in the parapet."
"I trailed a finger along its fine marquetry. Three types of wood had been used to make it: narra, mahogany, and kamagong wood, which stood for God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."
"Mama prepared pork adobo over rice with six halves of fried plantain. Carameled sugar oozed from the plaintains, making a brown pool in the bottom of the canister. A bottle of Choco Vim and a hardboiled egg peeled off its hard shell completed the fare. Leave it to Mama to overfeed."
"....but Mama said it was only chicken blood which people used to wax a dirt floor."
Additional vignettes from the book (I can't include some I really want to because it would constitute acting as spoilers):
"And because no one knew her, they made up stories about her."
"Tanaya stood in the yard; blowing hibiscus sap bubbles from a homemade wire loop."
"I wrinkled my nose. "What a toilet," I thought. Everywhere I looked, I saw misery and disease. Naked bug-eyed children played in mud pits infested with swarms of glistening flies. Not far away, a pack of scrawny dogs snarled at each other, fighting over a mound of carabao dung. In a nearby hut, an infant with a bloated stomach with a dead mouse as his mother gazed listlessly from a hole in the shack. I looked away and saw Father Rufino and Rachel watching me. "Now you know why we're here," he said."
"I had attended my first funeral at six and seen my first dead person at seven as had most kids my age. In the provinces where people died of diseases like cholera, malaria, and dysentery, funerals were not all that uncommon."
"Too tough to be real children, too young to be real men."
"He has to be elected president first," she said. "Oh the masses will vote for him. I am sure of that. He can win
in a landslide. Whether they will let it happen is another thing. We can't wait for the fruit to drop, Dante (Jando). We must do what we've always done. Fight."
SUMMARY: Anyone going to the Philippines should read this book as a primer not only of the politics and struggles but to learn about the incredibly rich culture. Not being an expert on the Philippines, it seems this novel includes nearly every facet of what it means to live in the Philippines and in this way, it may be too ambitious. It is a story about a child turning into a man via the definition of the violent situation and men around him, it is a story about love, it is a story about the brutality of politics (on every level), and it is a story of an environmentally rich place and its culture. Overall, I was deeply affected by the story and enriched by the things I learned about this place named after a 16th century Spanish king.
Virginia Arthur, Author
Birdbrain
Author: Enrico Antiporda
Edition: Kindle
As a courtesy from the author, I received a free copy of the e-book in exchange for doing an unbiased review. Per review guidelines, the review includes the following components: characterization, writing style, pace, length, plot, symbolism, language (spelling and grammar), settings, and personal reaction. The review will be organized in this order.
Introduction
This novel is set in the Philippines. I know only a little about the Philippines. I have never been there and the only contact I have had with the country has been through people I have met from the Philippines. The novel motivated me to spend some time with a few reference books in my library because I felt knowing the history of the country (consisting of over 7,000 islands!!) was important to understanding this novel.
The Philippines is a republic in the SW Pacific Ocean. It's capitol is Manila. The Spanish held the islands until 1898 when, as a result of the Spanish-American war, it was transferred to the United States. It is named after the king of Spain during the 16th century (Philip II). It was occupied by the Japanese during WWII until U.S. General MacArthur showed up. It gained independence in 1946. It was under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos from 1965-1986. Marcos was granted exile in the U.S.
The history of the country is, quite frankly, textbook colonialism: a small country with rich resources that is exploited by bigger countries then after it gains its independence, is torn apart by internal conflicts. My perception of the Philippines is that it has been beaten up from all sides--politically, geographically, and environmentally. Thus, it is the epitome of the result of colonialism and once handed independence, was/is plagued by internal struggles for power.
Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) had hit so even as I was reading this book, I was looking at the television news showing the wrath of this storm on the Filipino people including the complete destruction of places like Tacloban. This was surreal--to be doing a review of a book set in a country that was just hit by a catastrophic storm (and the book includes a scene where a typhoon hits). It seems the destiny of the Philippines is to constantly endure hardship and pain. It is this constant hardship and pain that I feel personifies this book.
Characterization
The book is written in the first person, in the voice of a 12 year old boy named Jando who lives in the Pampanga Province. He is from the upper or better-well-off classes out of Manila. It is set in 1967. The book follows his evolution (or de-evolution depending on how you think of it) as he transitions from child to man. His strongest emotional ties are to the women in his life such as his mother, an American woman who is there to "help" the country, and a tribal leader named Maya. I feel the characterization is excellent. The personality of each person is clearly defined and you perceive each character as the individual they are--with their own history and "issues". The story is character-rich. You are constantly meeting new characters. I did find myself flipping back and forth to refresh my memory on "who is who" but the author creates cohesion in the story by sticking to a core group of characters. This is still a relatively high number but is necessary for the type of story it is.
Writing Style
The most distinctive thing about this novel is in fact, the writing style which is a first person narrative. Jando is telling his story. There is a difference between reporting a story and telling a story. This book does only one of these. It can come across sometimes as tedious and dry though I think part of this is it is a adolescent boy telling the story and the writing style is meant to mimic how an adolescent boy might talk. Still, I needed to take a break from it sometimes. I perhaps would have broken it up with more esthetic interplay, perhaps some author intervention, reverting to some other writing style as I found it did become somewhat tedious at times. It is extremely difficult to write a story like this, especially one as rich in detail and subplots as this, and not wear a bit on the reader. For me, this was the main drawback in reading the book.
Pace
Pace is fast but then again, the characters are fighting for their lives--the lives of their country and their own. I feel the pace is a strong point of the novel and offsets how complex it can get.
Length
I might have edited some portions of it out only because the book is so rich with detail. Length is long.
Plot
The plot is intense and compelling. The story is a familiar one in the world of colonialism: exploitation by larger countries, the struggle for independence, independence gained then the internecine rivalries kick in (it is a tragedy of the human species that even in 2013 we still see this playing out globally; as a species, we seem destined to play this same scenario out over and over. Why?). As with so many struggles of this type, innocent children are conscripted to fight. Jando is one of them and this is the over-riding theme of the story.
There is a lot of violence in the book. The cultural chasm is represented by the Americans in the story who are there to "help". The author does a great job showing how stilted their adjustment is and their tendency to romanticize. The story has all the components of internecine struggles: bribery, political corruption, stressed and strained loyalties, death, murder, grief, loss of innocence, anger, betrayal...it is all here in this story which makes it almost too rich in plot and subplot. There is a lot to keep track of including characters, their backgrounds/histories, familial relationships--it is a busy book. It can also be grisly at times. The plot is compelling and did keep me on the edge of my seat even though I had a feeling it would end the way it did. In this way, it was somewhat predictable, a tad contrived, but still compelling.
One of the most interesting things about continually suffering under a state of injustice is the rationalization that has to kick-in in order to endure it. The story begins where Jando sees things as many children do--as they really are but as with all the characters in the story, they are forced to resort to rationalizing regarding what is happening to and all around them just to keep going. We all know what happens with rationalization--it allows us to keep our emotions, our reactions, such as anger to injustice, unfairness, etc. in check. Jando is not only growing older in the book or "maturing" under incredible stress and loss, but he is also learning to think "like an adult"...
I liked the little jolt when it was revealed that the beginning of the book ties in tightly to the end (and I cannot say much more per spoiling it).
Symbolism
This was a strong aspect of the story. The incredibly rich culture of the Philippines is woven into the narrative including the superstition, the native plants and animals of the island, intriguing recipes (!), and cultural habits. As a professional biologist, I LOVED this! The author includes the names of many native plants and animals, and aspects of their natural history. This was one of the most delightful aspects of the book for me.
If the title of a book is meant to be symbolic regarding what's IN the book, I do not think the title matches the intensity of the book. "Light in the Cane Fields" implied something to me I did not find in the book--a kind of soft, poetic, artistic fluidity...While the story definitely offers an aesthetic experience, it is not what I would call poetic: it's 'brass tacks and nails', sharp edges and jagged rocks, guns, machetes, knives, and blood. Violence and struggle. Yes, sure there is the bougainvillea behind the "ruins of the old Spanish citadel" (to which Jando thinks, "it's just a bunch of crumbling walls" as the American woman there (Rachel) romanticizes it). I suggest a different title to match the story the book is telling and to who the story is being told.
Language/Grammar
Saw a few minor edits. Language is very careful--tries to walk the very difficult line between reflecting how people talk in the real world and being grammatically correct. (I recognized it because I struggled with this in my novel; in exchange for editing something to be grammatically correct, do we sacrifice the characterization?). I detected this struggle in the book but it also may have been because the story is being told by a young boy who is one age in the beginning of the story then older at the end. At times, this style came across as awkward.
Settings
Exemplary. This is where the book excels. I felt like I was there. This is where the aesthetic element of the story comes in per descriptions of the natural environment, the crumbling Spanish citadels, the "spider hole" Jando is hunkered down into. The story is rich in this aspect and I greatly enjoyed it. I offer a few examples:
"A bouquet of frangipani flowers bloomed in a milk jar, oozing perfume. Kalachuchi, we called them in Tagalog. Temple flowers. We had a whole grove of them in the orchard."
"This is beautiful, " Rachel said, watching a hawk land on a guava tree that grew out of a crack in the parapet."
"I trailed a finger along its fine marquetry. Three types of wood had been used to make it: narra, mahogany, and kamagong wood, which stood for God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."
"Mama prepared pork adobo over rice with six halves of fried plantain. Carameled sugar oozed from the plaintains, making a brown pool in the bottom of the canister. A bottle of Choco Vim and a hardboiled egg peeled off its hard shell completed the fare. Leave it to Mama to overfeed."
"....but Mama said it was only chicken blood which people used to wax a dirt floor."
Additional vignettes from the book (I can't include some I really want to because it would constitute acting as spoilers):
"And because no one knew her, they made up stories about her."
"Tanaya stood in the yard; blowing hibiscus sap bubbles from a homemade wire loop."
"I wrinkled my nose. "What a toilet," I thought. Everywhere I looked, I saw misery and disease. Naked bug-eyed children played in mud pits infested with swarms of glistening flies. Not far away, a pack of scrawny dogs snarled at each other, fighting over a mound of carabao dung. In a nearby hut, an infant with a bloated stomach with a dead mouse as his mother gazed listlessly from a hole in the shack. I looked away and saw Father Rufino and Rachel watching me. "Now you know why we're here," he said."
"I had attended my first funeral at six and seen my first dead person at seven as had most kids my age. In the provinces where people died of diseases like cholera, malaria, and dysentery, funerals were not all that uncommon."
"Too tough to be real children, too young to be real men."
"He has to be elected president first," she said. "Oh the masses will vote for him. I am sure of that. He can win
in a landslide. Whether they will let it happen is another thing. We can't wait for the fruit to drop, Dante (Jando). We must do what we've always done. Fight."
SUMMARY: Anyone going to the Philippines should read this book as a primer not only of the politics and struggles but to learn about the incredibly rich culture. Not being an expert on the Philippines, it seems this novel includes nearly every facet of what it means to live in the Philippines and in this way, it may be too ambitious. It is a story about a child turning into a man via the definition of the violent situation and men around him, it is a story about love, it is a story about the brutality of politics (on every level), and it is a story of an environmentally rich place and its culture. Overall, I was deeply affected by the story and enriched by the things I learned about this place named after a 16th century Spanish king.
Virginia Arthur, Author
Birdbrain
May 13, 2014
When I got to the end of I felt sad - sad that the read was over, that I'd finished the book.
The book put it's arm round my shoulder from the outset and made me its friend.
We can't stay with a book forever, but a book can stay in us forever. And will always be in me from now on.
Why?
Because it is a moving story expertly and at times beautifully written.
Set in the Philippines during a violent time in the its history, the story is as much set in the heart and soul of the country as in its villages and mountains, drawing as it does on the country's historic struggles against the Spanish and then the Americans and the Japanese.
But perhaps the worst struggle of all is the civil war between the exploitative and politically-powerful rich and the repressed poor - a universal and timeless theme. Strongman Ferdinand Marcos presides over a state based on despotic nepotism.
Jando is a young boy who gets caught up in the mounting terror of the moment and whose life as the son of a small landowner is throw up in the air as revolutionary rebels battle it out with big landlords, local militia and bandits.
His story is that of all the millions of children whose innocence has been stripped from them.
gives us an insight into Jando's place in his rural backwater, where life has a traditional feel to it, with everything and everyone is more or less in their place. Yes, there are stresses, but people seem to get along for the most part. There is a beauty in the setting, too, and the people are close to it.
But events are afoot and the story gradually gathers pace as everything is turned on its head during an escalating cycle of violence, blood and death.
There is great cruelty and great tenderness. Hatreds and friendships are deep and strong, as is the pervading sense of futility.
The second half of the book is a fast-paced series of increasingly violent events which produce some surprising shifts of loyalty as Jando, a bright and charming boy, finds a new family.
Above all, the story's boy soldiers are a tragic indictment of the way adults can foul things up, through selfishness and doctrine. On an individual level though, not all is lost, quite the opposite as you will see when you get to the end of Enrico Antiporda's compellingly woven story.
The language bossed my eye also. To quote a callous character about to watch a ritual crucifiction, 'This is the best part.' The author's prose paints some vivid characters, beautiful, if at times harsh, settings, with a natural poetry, zipping along like a dragonfly, its 'transparent wings throwing prisms in the sun.' Magical stuff.
Above all though, I got a sense of being from Jando, who likened the fragmenting of a guerilla band to the 'breaking up of a family', and whose dream was to be, 'living a normal life with a normal family.'
reminded me of two other great reads: because of the way humans tend to split into warring tribes; and Vasily Grossman's majestic because of this quote, which seemed to direct the reader's eye back into the lighter side of the human spirit, 'But I could not help myself. I felt so hopeful.'
And it doesn't half have a cracking front
cover!
The book put it's arm round my shoulder from the outset and made me its friend.
We can't stay with a book forever, but a book can stay in us forever. And will always be in me from now on.
Why?
Because it is a moving story expertly and at times beautifully written.
Set in the Philippines during a violent time in the its history, the story is as much set in the heart and soul of the country as in its villages and mountains, drawing as it does on the country's historic struggles against the Spanish and then the Americans and the Japanese.
But perhaps the worst struggle of all is the civil war between the exploitative and politically-powerful rich and the repressed poor - a universal and timeless theme. Strongman Ferdinand Marcos presides over a state based on despotic nepotism.
Jando is a young boy who gets caught up in the mounting terror of the moment and whose life as the son of a small landowner is throw up in the air as revolutionary rebels battle it out with big landlords, local militia and bandits.
His story is that of all the millions of children whose innocence has been stripped from them.
gives us an insight into Jando's place in his rural backwater, where life has a traditional feel to it, with everything and everyone is more or less in their place. Yes, there are stresses, but people seem to get along for the most part. There is a beauty in the setting, too, and the people are close to it.
But events are afoot and the story gradually gathers pace as everything is turned on its head during an escalating cycle of violence, blood and death.
There is great cruelty and great tenderness. Hatreds and friendships are deep and strong, as is the pervading sense of futility.
The second half of the book is a fast-paced series of increasingly violent events which produce some surprising shifts of loyalty as Jando, a bright and charming boy, finds a new family.
Above all, the story's boy soldiers are a tragic indictment of the way adults can foul things up, through selfishness and doctrine. On an individual level though, not all is lost, quite the opposite as you will see when you get to the end of Enrico Antiporda's compellingly woven story.
The language bossed my eye also. To quote a callous character about to watch a ritual crucifiction, 'This is the best part.' The author's prose paints some vivid characters, beautiful, if at times harsh, settings, with a natural poetry, zipping along like a dragonfly, its 'transparent wings throwing prisms in the sun.' Magical stuff.
Above all though, I got a sense of being from Jando, who likened the fragmenting of a guerilla band to the 'breaking up of a family', and whose dream was to be, 'living a normal life with a normal family.'
reminded me of two other great reads: because of the way humans tend to split into warring tribes; and Vasily Grossman's majestic because of this quote, which seemed to direct the reader's eye back into the lighter side of the human spirit, 'But I could not help myself. I felt so hopeful.'
And it doesn't half have a cracking front
cover!
February 25, 2014
The novel, 'A Light in the Cane Field,' by Enrico Antiporda is the beautifully written but often harrowing story of the lives, the culture, the marvels of youth and the harsh and unforgiving realities of civil unrest at a time of political upheaval, rampant corruption and martial law as seen through the eyes of the privileged son of a sugar cane plantation owner during the late sixties in the Pampanga province of the Philippines.
The story begins with Jando Flores, now a newly trained child soldier of the NPA, or New People's Army � the armed tax-enforcement branch of the Marxist-Leninist people's revolutionary government - dug into his 'butas tago,' or 'spider hole,' waiting to ambush the army of a sugar warlord, but how he came to be there and the purpose of the ambush we don't yet know.
Jando goes on to tell the story of his life as a young man growing up on his father's sugar plantation, the sights, the sounds, the smells and even the language, Tagalog, given in short, clearly defined terms that add to the immersion into Filipino culture without being overly burdensome. There is even a sense of the toil and the relief at the end of the harvest as they return home 'to a mango-colored sky, a caravan of five carts and a rusty old truck piled high with cane stalks.'
The pleasantly descriptive prose is as beautiful as the violence of armed conflict is graphic, and the contrast is crushing. The author has the innate ability to bring the reader to be emotionally vested in each of his characters which makes the violence all the more devastating. In truth, I'm not sure that I was prepared for the level of violence in this story, but the author did a brilliant job of personifying the NPA, the conflicts and corruption inherent in the government of that time as well as the plight of the Filipino people under martial law. I also enjoyed the historical perspective on the Philippine-American war.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a different perspective on the history of the Philippines or who is interested in Filipino culture or who is simply considering visiting the Philippines.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
The story begins with Jando Flores, now a newly trained child soldier of the NPA, or New People's Army � the armed tax-enforcement branch of the Marxist-Leninist people's revolutionary government - dug into his 'butas tago,' or 'spider hole,' waiting to ambush the army of a sugar warlord, but how he came to be there and the purpose of the ambush we don't yet know.
Jando goes on to tell the story of his life as a young man growing up on his father's sugar plantation, the sights, the sounds, the smells and even the language, Tagalog, given in short, clearly defined terms that add to the immersion into Filipino culture without being overly burdensome. There is even a sense of the toil and the relief at the end of the harvest as they return home 'to a mango-colored sky, a caravan of five carts and a rusty old truck piled high with cane stalks.'
The pleasantly descriptive prose is as beautiful as the violence of armed conflict is graphic, and the contrast is crushing. The author has the innate ability to bring the reader to be emotionally vested in each of his characters which makes the violence all the more devastating. In truth, I'm not sure that I was prepared for the level of violence in this story, but the author did a brilliant job of personifying the NPA, the conflicts and corruption inherent in the government of that time as well as the plight of the Filipino people under martial law. I also enjoyed the historical perspective on the Philippine-American war.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a different perspective on the history of the Philippines or who is interested in Filipino culture or who is simply considering visiting the Philippines.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
June 13, 2013
How do I even begin to describe this book? A Light in the Cane Fields has easily made it into my list of favorite books I have ever read.
Jando is a wonderful character, a true canary in a coal mine. He never loses his humanity despite all of the horrible things he is forced to endure. The plot did take a bit of time to pick up and get to the main bits, but it really worked for the story in the end - you wind up very invested in Jando and his family, and without that sort of emotional attachment the story wouldn't have worked as well as it did.
He is faced with many moral conflicts throughout the story and faces them as well as any 12-year-old boy could possibly be expected to, with his ethics and loyalties evolving satisfyingly toward the end. Scenes often were emotional, descriptive, and heart-wrenching; there isn't much relief in the book aside from the few attachments Jando makes throughout his year and a half as a child soldier. Despite this, I had a hard time putting the book down for long periods of time.
This was my first experience reading about this particular culture, and the author really brought the setting to life through his elegant writing style and attention to casual details. I sincerely do hope this book will gather a bit more attention, as it really is a gem in this time where a lot of mass-published books appear lackluster in comparison.
As with any self-published novel, certain scenes could do well under the knife of a good editor, but in all honesty the book is still a wonderful read as-is.
Jando is a wonderful character, a true canary in a coal mine. He never loses his humanity despite all of the horrible things he is forced to endure. The plot did take a bit of time to pick up and get to the main bits, but it really worked for the story in the end - you wind up very invested in Jando and his family, and without that sort of emotional attachment the story wouldn't have worked as well as it did.
He is faced with many moral conflicts throughout the story and faces them as well as any 12-year-old boy could possibly be expected to, with his ethics and loyalties evolving satisfyingly toward the end. Scenes often were emotional, descriptive, and heart-wrenching; there isn't much relief in the book aside from the few attachments Jando makes throughout his year and a half as a child soldier. Despite this, I had a hard time putting the book down for long periods of time.
This was my first experience reading about this particular culture, and the author really brought the setting to life through his elegant writing style and attention to casual details. I sincerely do hope this book will gather a bit more attention, as it really is a gem in this time where a lot of mass-published books appear lackluster in comparison.
As with any self-published novel, certain scenes could do well under the knife of a good editor, but in all honesty the book is still a wonderful read as-is.
August 7, 2013
What comes to your mind when you imagine the life of a young teenage boy? Sleepovers with friends, homework, pizza parties, video games, and first crushes? Jando, the young protagonist of this wonderful novel, would probably have loved to have this kind of life. But his fate turned out to be much more complicated, tragic, and heart-breaking. Jando is growing up in the middle of an armed conflict in the Philippines. At the beginning of the story, his loving and caring parents try to shield him from the menacing circumstances, but soon it becomes impossible, and he finds himself alone and fighting a war he never wanted.
“A Light in the Cane Fields� by Enrico Antiporda is beautifully written and makes the armed conflict between the New People’s Army and the Moro Liberation Front during the Marcos regime come alive on its pages. Some earlier reviewers commented that they did not like the violence in the story. I’m sure Jando did not like it either, but that’s what he had to face and deal with. Unlike many modern books where violence is used just as a sensational device, in this novel, it is an integral part of story and history. It is depicted extremely well.
Next time my teenage son complains about the hardships of his life due to spotty Wi-Fi coverage or a broken video game controller, I’ll have him read Jando’s story. Child soldiers are real. Their fate is tragic and heart-wrenching, and this book presents the story of one such child soldier in a vivid and memorable way.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
“A Light in the Cane Fields� by Enrico Antiporda is beautifully written and makes the armed conflict between the New People’s Army and the Moro Liberation Front during the Marcos regime come alive on its pages. Some earlier reviewers commented that they did not like the violence in the story. I’m sure Jando did not like it either, but that’s what he had to face and deal with. Unlike many modern books where violence is used just as a sensational device, in this novel, it is an integral part of story and history. It is depicted extremely well.
Next time my teenage son complains about the hardships of his life due to spotty Wi-Fi coverage or a broken video game controller, I’ll have him read Jando’s story. Child soldiers are real. Their fate is tragic and heart-wrenching, and this book presents the story of one such child soldier in a vivid and memorable way.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
July 8, 2013
As I read the final page of Enrico Antiporda's A LIGHT IN THE CANE FIELDS, a sense of appreciation and satisfaction settled upon my shoulders. For too long I had been reading works of fiction that relied on shock value, gratuitous plot twists, or imaginative subject matter to hold my attention,(and these are not necessarily bad things)but not anymore. Antiporda's tale of a thirteen year old Filipino boy turned guerilla soldier is fiction as art, and beautiful to behold.
Jando Flores tells the story in a simple manner that is believable and readable. I am at once immersed in his culture of family, farming, and Filipino politics. I can smell the smoke from the fields, taste the pork from his mother's kitchen, and hear the sounds emanating from the local cabaret. The prose is rich, powerful, and flows on an even-keel. It is masterfully written.
The portrayal of the war is honest - something I can appreciate. Jando remains a straight-forward narrator, even when things are at their darkest, and it is far from rainbows and butterflies all the time in this novel. I found it both gritty and beautiful.
I probably should have paid more attention to things like editing and scene structure, but in the big picture it doesn't really matter. The book is good. Real good.
Jando Flores tells the story in a simple manner that is believable and readable. I am at once immersed in his culture of family, farming, and Filipino politics. I can smell the smoke from the fields, taste the pork from his mother's kitchen, and hear the sounds emanating from the local cabaret. The prose is rich, powerful, and flows on an even-keel. It is masterfully written.
The portrayal of the war is honest - something I can appreciate. Jando remains a straight-forward narrator, even when things are at their darkest, and it is far from rainbows and butterflies all the time in this novel. I found it both gritty and beautiful.
I probably should have paid more attention to things like editing and scene structure, but in the big picture it doesn't really matter. The book is good. Real good.
September 6, 2013
A searing and savage coming-of-age portrayal of a child soldier in the Philippines, A Light in the Cane Fields is a story that will stick with you long after you've turned the last page. The story follows Jando's loss, transformation and eventually redemption, as events strip him of his innocence and thrust him prematurely into manhood. Through Jando's eyes the images of family and friendship juxtapose with those of inhumanity and death.
Jando's life of privilege as the son of a landowner, richly imagined and full of cultural, botanical and other nuances, comes to an abrupt and bloody end early in the story. There are death scenes not for the faint of heart, but I think justified in the context of the story. The brutal treatment that Jando receives during his initiation and training as a soldier never destroys his compassion and spirit, unlike many of those around him.
The author's masterful handling of his subject matter, combined with prose that is lyrical and hauntingly beautiful, make for a story that is at once compelling and in the end, satisfying and memorable. For me, this sumptuous literary banquet deserves its accolades and comes highly recommended. If I could give them, six stars.
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
Jando's life of privilege as the son of a landowner, richly imagined and full of cultural, botanical and other nuances, comes to an abrupt and bloody end early in the story. There are death scenes not for the faint of heart, but I think justified in the context of the story. The brutal treatment that Jando receives during his initiation and training as a soldier never destroys his compassion and spirit, unlike many of those around him.
The author's masterful handling of his subject matter, combined with prose that is lyrical and hauntingly beautiful, make for a story that is at once compelling and in the end, satisfying and memorable. For me, this sumptuous literary banquet deserves its accolades and comes highly recommended. If I could give them, six stars.
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
April 27, 2013
I received a free copy of this book to review. The story begins with a 13 year old boy hiding in a shallow hole in the middle of the jungle, a rifle gripped tightly to his chest. His name is Jando Flores, and he has become a child soldier in the revolution against former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. A Light in the Cane Fields is his story, a moving tale of this young boy who witnesses his family and friends becoming victims in the struggle between greedy land owners and revolutionaries. He is dragged into the fighting against his will, and we see the horror and the tragedies that accompany most revolutions through his innocent eyes. We become witnesses through him as he tells his story in simple, straightforward, and often graphic terms. It is a story that is by turns sad, funny, exhilarating and brutal. The characters, especially Jando and his family, as well as his "family" among the revolutionaries, are all too realistically depicted, and we are left crushed as many of them meet their inevitable, and violent, fates. The only disappointment I felt was when the book ended all too soon. A truly excellent book.
May 10, 2013
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review, and I enjoyed the experience. "A Light in the Cane Fields" pulled me in from the first page -- I felt like I was watching alongside the main character, feeling the intensity of his emotions. The author provides a graceful attention to detail that draws readers in, rather than overwhelming them. The story is at times very intense but never over-the-top, and the characters are fully realized and sympathetic.
February 13, 2015
in this book A Light in the Cane Fields, by Enrico Antiporda, tells of how a young boy Jando looses his family buy the Philippine government. his fathers plantation gets taken by the government and is wanted by the officers because they couldn't pay the taxes. the family ends up trying to move away to manila, Jando and his family are captured. jando is separated from his sister Tanaya and his family id murdered. Jando goes on a journey to a church where he realizes there was many massacres.
November 29, 2013
The book was ok, but couldn't really captivate me.
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